


an edge of truth

by shirohyasha



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, Gen, M/M, Marriages of Convenience, Period Typical Homophobia, Period Typical Sexism, eighteenth century ish, honestly this is fun and stupid, loosely a masquerade mirage au, mentioned tomoharu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-27 21:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16710655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirohyasha/pseuds/shirohyasha
Summary: Young Lord Hijirikawa will have to take a wife at some point, even if he expresses reluctance. Poor Lady Mai is stuck caring for her ailing mother, suitors scared off at the prospect of having to move in to her family home. The youngest Jinguji brother is a rogue and a scoundrel, and every woman that comes into contact with him is left heartbroken.Ren likes listening to gossip. Masato likes the idea of getting rid of rumours.





	an edge of truth

**Author's Note:**

> this was a lot of fun to write

Masato has been at this horrible party for maybe a quarter of an hour when Ren swaggers up to him and bows mockingly, all flourishes and excessive showmanship. He quashes his amusement, hides it behind contempt, and bows shallowly in return.

“Jinguji,” he greets, toneless. “As dramatic as ever.”

“Lord Hijirikawa,” Ren replies, flippant and cheerful. “As stuffy and dull as ever.”

It’s very unlikely that anyone can hear them – the ballroom has high ceilings and strange acoustics, and every sound that doesn’t come from the orchestra is swallowed by the hanging tapestries. But they can definitely be seen, they are definitely being observed. Masato catches sight of four people openly staring at the two of them, and at least six more watching them discreetly.

“Must you make a spectacle?” Masato sighs. Ren’s face hides genuine warmth, but very deep down. There’s a layer of chilly disdain, and hiding that is his usual flirtatious persona.

“You know I love a scandal,” Ren says. “Speaking of, have you heard what Lord Kotobuki and his policeman friend have been up to? It could ruin them both.”

“I do not engage with frivolous gossip,” Masato sighs. “You should not waste your time so.”

“Oh, but it’s so much _fun,_ ” Ren insists.

“Ren,” someone says from behind Masato – an attempt to unnerve him, probably. “You are not bothering Lord Hijirkawa, are you?”

Masato turns and bows. “Lord Jinguji. I did not expect to see you here tonight.”

Ren’s eldest brother smiles coldly. He’s not nearly as handsome as Ren is. “I had some business in the area,” he says.

Masato raises an eyebrow a fraction of a degree. “I see,” he says. “How fortunate, that you were able to attend.”

Ren’s amusement is a tightly controlled thing, bubbling under his skin. Masato can sense it – something in the shape of his body, the cool disinterest on his face hiding a spark in his eyes.

“Come now, brother, you know Lord Hijirikawa and I are old friends,” Ren says. “Why, it’s been fifteen years since our fathers fell out. Surely it is time to put aside old differences.”

“Perhaps you are right.” The smile on his face is as false as the one on Ren’s, but it’s not nearly as convincing. “Well then, if you will excuse me.”

Masato bows again, and Lord Jinguji leaves.

“What an arse,” Ren mutters, as soon as he’s disappeared into the crowds. Masato pretends not to hear him, which is as good as an agreement, really.

“You might be right, though,” Masato says idly. “It might be a good idea for our houses to put aside their differences and come together.”

Ren smiles at him, affecting charming confusedness. “Whatever could you be referring to, Lord Hijirikawa?”

“You know I hate it when you call me that,” Masato says, quiet enough that Ren has to strain to hear him and no one else will be able to understand. He wishes he could hide his mouth behind a fan, to prevent anyone from reading his lips, but that’s a luxury afforded to women exclusively. “A marriage, perhaps. To symbolise the renewal of a friendship between our houses.”

Ren’s face really does go chilly there, and Masato knows he’s going to have to explain fast or Ren will lose his temper. “You might have to discuss such things with my brother,” he says, something hard in his voice.

“Indeed, eventually that would be necessary,” Masato says, as mild as he can force his voice to go. “My sister is of marrying age, but has indicated no interest in marriage despite a range of suitable suitors. Perhaps a marriage could be arranged between someone in your house and her.”

“Perhaps,” Ren agrees, cautious. _I don’t follow,_ his eyes say. Masato sighs.

Mai is on the other side of the room. She has one hand in the crook of a cousin’s elbow and is fending off someone who is presumably asking her to dance. She’s very elegant. Masato is very proud.

“Why,” Masasto says dryly. “She would make an excellent wife, if not for her disinterest in keeping a man company, but I fear it might be too big a burden for any of your family to take on. After all, she would insist upon remaining in the Hijirikawa estate, to care for our ailing mother, so any husband she took would have to move in with her, rather than the reverse.”

Honestly, if Ren doesn’t understand what he’s suggesting after that, Masato is going to stab him with the stupid ceremonial sword he’s got at his waist.

“I see,” Ren says slowly. “Yes, I can understand why such a prospect might put off many a suitor.”

“Many men are not as impressed with her devotion to our mother as they might be,” Masato agrees. “Truly, I believe it to be a mark in her favour.”

“And her dowry?” Ren asks. Masato has to fight very hard to keep himself from kicking him in the shin.

“A title,” Masato says. “Several family heirlooms. A substantial sum of money, and the prestige of being married to Hijirikawa Mai. Truly, these men are fools.”

“Too easy to scare off,” Ren agrees. “But of course, Lady Mai has never particularly cared for the prospect of marriage.”

“Anyone might think she was deliberately dissuading them,” Masato agrees. “She has a sharp tongue. But that is beside the point.”

Mai chooses that moment to make eye contact with him. She snaps her fan across her face, then flutters it shut at precise intervals. Masato sighs – every time he tries to ask Mai to teach him what she means when she talks with her fan, she insists that he’s projecting. And of course, women have not written the language down, for fear that it be discovered and rendered obsolete, so he has been unable to study it alone.

“Mai has something to say to me,” he says. “Would you accompany me? It has been some time since you last spoke to her.”

Ren smiles, dishonest and charming. “Why, Lord Hijirikawa, everyone knows you care for your sister more than anyone else in this world. Are you sure you want a known rogue like me to speak with her?”

Masato doesn’t dignify that with an answer, and starts across the ballroom towards her. Ren walks at his side, ignoring the whispers that follow him.

“So your sister is caring for your mother?” he asks, and Masato has to fight not to groan with relief. He does understand!

“She is,” Masato says. “Mother has always been weak, but she is doing very well under Mai’s care.”

“And of course, Lady Mai could not be so heartless as to abandon her mother, but many suitors do not want the indignity of moving into another man’s home.” Ren ponders, pretending to be deep in thought.

“It is not solely my home, as evidenced by the fact that I have many cousins living with me,” Masato says, dry as dust. “And my sister has her own rooms and servants, and any suitor that took her hand would be afforded the same courtesy.”

“The Hijirikawa Estate is not lacking is space,” Ren agrees. “And yourself? Have you thought of taking a wife?”

Masato is spared from answering, because they’ve arrived at Mai’s side.

“Mai,” Masato greets. “Cousin.”

“Lord Hijirikawa,” his cousin says, and relinquishes Mai to him. Masato may have threatened him with disownment if he’d allowed anyone to pressure Mai into dancing with them. He looks relieved to be released from his duty.

“Brother,” Mai says. “Count Jinguji.”

“I’m delighted to see you again,” Ren says, bowing deeply. “You look radiant.”

Masato forces himself not to look too chagrined at Ren’s admittedly ridiculous display.

“You are alright, Mai?” Masato asks. Mai snaps open her fan and holds it in front of her mouth, but her eyes are pulled up and Masato knows she’s grinning.

“It is too obvious that you are having fun,” Mai says. “People will talk.”

“Mai!” Masato snaps. He’s glad makeup is still in fashion, because he can feel blood rushing to his face. “Don’t make such an undignified face in public,” he mutters, ignoring Ren trying very hard not to howl with laughter beside him.

“What face, brother?” Mai removes the fan to reveal a perfectly docile, sweet expression. “I am glad you and the Count are getting along well.”

“I see what you mean,” Ren says, cheerful. “Lady Mai, you have grown vicious with your words.”

“Shut it,” Masato says out of the corner of his mouth. “Sister, would you like to dance? I have not seen you dance yet tonight.”

“Thank you brother, but no,” Mai says, and flicks her wrist and opens her fan halfway. She flutters it, once, twice, and then shuts it just as abruptly. “You must tell me what you are planning afterwards, I am afraid.”

“What he’s planning does unfortunately involve you dancing,” Ren says, and holds out a hand. “Perhaps you can be persuaded?”

Mai is far too well-brought-up to glare at Masato, but she does look at him with slightly more force than she might have otherwise.

“I would be delighted,” she says, and takes Ren’s hand. “I presume there is some explanation.”

Masato doesn’t catch what Ren says, because someone sees the two of them leaving and comes up to him and attempts to engage him in conversation, and so he has to get rid of them as quickly as he can. Truly, he hates parties such as these, but. Well. Ren was going to be here, and it was so difficult to see him without arousing the suspicion of either of their families.

He politely excuses himself from the conversation, gets caught several more times – four marriage offers and two disputes about tithing, delightful – and makes his way to the edge of the room.

“I see you are planning something,” a familiarly cool voice says beside him. “Should we be worried, Lord Hijirkawa?”

“Not at all, Lord Ichinose,” Masato says. “I see you are still staving off scandal, somehow. How impressive.”

Tokiya grins, slightly, barely enough to be seen. “You insult me.”

“Perhaps you will challenge me to a duel to regain your honour,” Masato says. “And I will finally get that rematch.”

“Unlikely,” Tokiya says. “Allowing your cherished sister to dance with someone whose reputation is as muddy as Count Jinguji’s is? Anyone who knows anything could see you were planning things.”

“Perhaps I am trying to restore the honour of a childhood friend of mine,” Masato counters.

Tokiya has to hide his snort behind his hand. “No one will buy that.”

“Perhaps I am trying to foster a close relationship with the Jingujis, to utilise their overseas markets,” Masato offers.

“Better,” Tokiya allows. “Not the truth, of course. But more believable.”

“You are the worst friend I have ever had, and I am including Jinguji on that list,” Masato says.

“I have never received a greater insult in my life,” Tokiya says. “Rescind your words, at once.”

“I will not,” Masato tells him, grinning. “Please excuse me, now. I believe my sister and Jinguji are finished dancing.”

“Lord Hijirikawa,” Tokiya says, bowing slightly. “Until we meet again.”

Masato bows in return and hurries off to find his sister. Ren is beside her, and although superficially he looks as annoyingly charming as ever, to Masato he looks as though he has been put through a meat-grinder.

“Brother,” Mai greets. “Count Jinguji made some very interesting suggestions while we were dancing. I look forward to discussing them after the party is over.”

“Excellent,” Masato says. “I am glad it went well.”

Ren gives him such a dirty look at that that Masato has to bite his lip to hold back his laughter. He smiles warmly at Mai, who is not-glaring at him as well.

“I suppose your ideas have merits, brother,” she grants. “But really, you could have informed me of your plans before tonight.”

“I do apologise,” Masato says.

“I am going to find my friends,” Mai says. “Please excuse me.”

She curtsies, and Ren bows to her, and she vanishes into the crowd and latches onto a group of women that Masato is sure she doesn’t know. He turns back to Ren after a moment.

“Perhaps I should have warned you that Mai does not take kindly to being flirted with,” Masato says, mildly. Ren does not explode at him, like he clearly wants to, but he does glare. He gives the impression of being slouched with shame, despite standing tall.

“Perhaps you should have done,” Ren says. “Truly, I can understand why suitors would be scared.”

“Because they are fools,” Masato says. “Fools who want a servant, instead of a wife.”

Ren laughs. “I suppose they must,” he says. “You never answered my question. Have you thought of taking a wife? There will be talk if you don’t.”

Masato hums. “I suppose Lady Nanami would be an excellent candidate,” he says. “She is musically trained and an excellent companion.”

“She’s sleeping with her stable girl,” Ren tells him, as though to try and startle a reaction out of him. Unfortunately for him, Masato already knew that, because Nanami had told him.

“We do need a new stablehand,” Masato says.

Ren bursts into laughter. Masato grins.

They are attracting stares, no doubt, and it’s important to keep gossip tightly controlled, but Ren is laughing and Masato’s heart is light, and it might not be so bad for them to be seen getting along well, especially not if Masato wants to persuade people he’s allowing Ren to marry his sister.

“Quite the solution to all of our problems,” Ren says eventually, having finished wiping his eyes. “Truly, if only Lord Kotobuki had had your brains, his reputation might have been salvaged.”

“You flatter me,” Masato says dryly. “You can tell me about Lord Kotobuki later, as you are clearly so desperate to.”

“It’s a wonderful story,” Ren promises. “Now, do excuse me, Lord Hijirikawa. I have to persuade my brother that I convinced you to allow me to court your sister.”

Masato raises an eyebrow. “Tell him you seduced her, and she persuaded me.”

Ren rolls his eyes, and Masato bows to dismiss him, and then he turns to try and find Lady Nanami. He knows he saw her earlier, looking utterly miserable dancing with some lord or another.

It does not take him long to find her. He offers her his hand and her grandmother nudges her forwards, and he leads her onto the dancefloor.

“Lady Nanami,” he says, quiet. The noise of the music is enough that they won’t be overheard, and there are so many people around them it would be impossible to read their lips. “It has been suggested to me that I take a wife.”

Nanami doesn’t look him in the eye. “Is that so?” she asks. She’s so quiet, meek and shy. Masato thinks that maybe being friends with Mai would help her – he certainly did his best to impose manners and rules onto Mai, but never this anxiety.

“Indeed,” he says. “I hear your stable girl, Miss Shibuya, is seeking new employment?”

She isn’t, of course, and Nanami knows she isn’t, but she glances up at him anyway. Her hand is tense in his.

“I hadn’t heard that,” she says softly. “Where did you hear that rumour, Lord Hijirikawa?”

Masato hums. “Around. I have been looking to hire a new stablehand. The pay would be good.”

Nanami is not stupid, for all that she is oblivious sometimes. “I see,” she says. “And I suppose your desire for a wife is very similar to my desire for a husband.”

“Your grandmother would like to see you married, I should think,” Masato says. “I know my own mother wishes to see Mai’s wedding.”

“She has suggested that she would,” Nanami says. “My dowry would not be particularly impressive.”

“The Hijirikawa family has no need of your money,” Masato points out. “Our marriage would mostly be a personal convenience, rather than a political one.”

“I see,” Nanami says. “And I suppose Count Jinguji’s earlier amusement has nothing to do with this?”

“What makes Count Jinguji laugh is far beyond me,” Masato says dryly. “But Mai has taken a shine to him. I imagine his brothers would be pleased to see him settle down.”

Nanami laughs then, a bright little thing that dies quickly. “You have thought of everyone’s happiness in this,” she says. “You truly are considerate.”

There had been a period, when the two of them were fifteen and newly acquainted, during which Masato had thought he would fall in love with Nanami. But it had not happened like that.

“It is important to me that everyone is happy with this arrangement,” he admits. “Of course, it would be better if things could be different.”

“You do not have that kind of power,” Nanami says.

“I do not,” Masato agrees. “But I have the power to do this. Do I have your permission to court you?”

“You will need my uncle’s permission as well,” Nanami says.

Masato smiles thinly. “I fear your uncle would permit anyone as established as I am to court you. I do not expect he will deny me. It is your permission I am interested in.”

“Then you have it,” Nanami says, quite amicably. “Under the conditions that you have already laid out.”

“I am delighted,” Masato says, and bends to kiss the back of her hand. “If you would be so kind as to escort me to Lord Nanami, I should be happy to make his acquaintance in this new capacity.”

 

They had been invited to stay the night at the hosting family’s great mansion, and so it was not too much trouble for Masato to bribe a servant to send a note to Ren’s room requesting he come.

Well, he’d asked Mai to send it. The two of them had been given a suite, so Ren could quite easily pretend he was coming to visit Mai, should he get caught or the servants talk.

“Did Lady Nanami agree then?” Ren asks. “I saw you talking to her bastard uncle.”

“She did,” Masato says. “Lord Nanami wishes to discuss things more formally, but truly he was putting up a façade of disinterest. I imagine he will try and push the wedding through as soon as he can, lest I change my mind.”

Ren hums. “What a scumbag,” he says. “My brother isn’t sure that you will permit me to court Lady Mai.”

“You should have been more careful with your reputation,” Masato scolds. It’s an old argument.

Ren laughs. “I think I’m doing perfectly fine with my reputation in tatters,” he says. “He’ll want to meet with you. I imagine he’ll try and catch you tomorrow. Try and look irritated.”

“I see,” Masato says. “Well, as fascinating as this conversation is, it isn’t really the reason I asked you to come here.”

The startled look on Ren’s face is one Masato will treasure. He is beautiful, in the warm light of the fire and the candles, and if all of Masato’s plans work out as he intends them to, he’ll be Masato’s to keep.

“How bold, Lord Hijirikawa,” Ren says, and doesn’t give Masato time to complain about the title.

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know anything about fan language, or appropriate dress, or dances, or courting rituals, or anything really, but i thought this would be fun and it was


End file.
